The mouthpiece on a brass-wind instrument plays an important role in producing the sound the instrument makes when performing. It is well known that in order to produce notes of different frequencies a player of a brass musical instrument applies his/her lips with varying degrees of pressure to a generally cup-shaped mouthpiece and blows to cause vibration of the front portion of his/her lips. These vibrations are transferred to the air column in the bowl or cavity of the mouthpiece and thence to the instrument itself to produce notes of different frequencies. The typical mouthpiece for brass instruments consists of one of the following two internal contours: a “V” cup, or a “bowl” or “funnel” shaped cup. The shape of the cup affects the tone that is ultimately projected. The “V cup” has advantages in note flexibility and note attacking. Note attacking is known generally as the time it takes for the instrument to produce sound after the air has been blown into the mouthpiece by the player. The “V cup” mouthpiece requires less effort to move between the different registers of the horn but tend toward making a player's tone sound thin or airy, which demands more effort to counteract. The “bowl-shaped cup” provides a warmer, more sonorous tone. However, “bowl-shaped cup” mouthpieces require more effort to move between the different registers of the horn.
Practically all conventional mouthpieces have a bowl or funnel-shaped cup that ends with the “throat” or small opening at the bottom of the cup. From the throat, the mouthpieces follow a gradual increase in diameter that terminates where the mouthpiece fits into the instrument, known as the “backbore.” The “backbore” has a conical shape.
Mouthpieces with bowls or cavities of various shapes have been used to improve the quality and the range of the notes produced. But none of these modifications have been successful in improving performance.